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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203891">Shadows Bright and Burning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxxMarquette/pseuds/JinxxMarquette'>JinxxMarquette</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt is very surprised to discover this, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Loves Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier is a Romanov, Jaskier | Dandelion Loves Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, M/M, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, he's also raised by elves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:47:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203891</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxxMarquette/pseuds/JinxxMarquette</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The beginning of the Great Cleansing was signaled by the slaughter of the Romanovs. </p><p>A prominent royal family of rumored fae blood, the Romanovs had ruled with kindness to all people, human or not.</p><p>Their elimination was considered a tragedy, all their bodies were found but one, that of their youngest son, Julian Romanov, considered to have been killed in the attack.</p><p>Unbeknownst to the rest of the Continent, Julian Romanov is raised in a hidden settlement of elves and other inhumans, where he gains the nickname Jaskier.</p><p> </p><p>(everything is fine until Jaskier meets Geralt and his life turns on it's head)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shadows Bright and Burning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nothing marked the beginning of a dark age more than when news spread across the Continent that the Romanovs had been killed.</p><p>Well, killed is perhaps putting it too lightly. They were slaughtered. The family was allegedly traveling to shelter in one of their many safe houses after increasing hostility against them when their caravan of carriages were attacked. The scene of the crime was doused in blood, each member, including children, found sliced and hacked in a matter so brutal it made grown men puke at the sight. </p><p>The attackers themselves were not found, though the crime was heavily suspected to be committed by the increasing group of blood purists committed to ridding the Continent of anyone inhuman.</p><p>Almost the entire Romanov clan was wiped out in the attack, every bloodied body identified except for one. The body of little 3 year old Julian Romanov was never found. </p><p>For weeks following the attack, people searched for the whereabouts of the little boy. But as months went by with no lead, the odds of a three year old somehow escaping the attack seemed less and less likely. Some proposed that his body had simply been dragged away by predators and devoured. Julian Romanov was officially pronounced dead.</p><p>The slaughter of the Romanovs was the first major event that signaled the beginning of the Great Cleansing. Only more death would follow.</p><p>But why would anyone want to kill the Romanovs?</p><p>They were a family of human royalty, renowned for their fierce protectiveness of their people. They ruled gentle, smart, and fair. </p><p>It was rumored that the Romanovs themselves had royal fae blood running through their veins, and it was well known that each member of the family possessed a strong magic, usually related to the elements.</p><p>They held no discrimination against those who weren’t human, or even those who descended from both  inhuman and human parentage, and all of their subjects were treated the same.</p><p>Their kingdom was a haven for those persecuted by prejudice, and that angered fanatics. The Romanovs were considered too powerful, and it was clear they would never support any sort of cleansing across the Continent. And so they were eliminated when it was least suspected.</p><p>__________</p><p>What the rumors of the Romanovs won’t tell you is that amidst the slaughter, Elmira Romanov managed to grab her son Julian and run into the nearby woods. In the time where she had distracted her attackers, she managed to stash her little boy deep in the roots of a twisted elm. With the last few seconds of her life she told him to close his eyes, cover his ears, and not make a single sound. Elmira leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her son’s forehead. The crashing of branches and the angry shouts were growing closer, she didn’t have much time. She took a moment to look into Julian’s big blue eyes, an exact match to her own.</p><p>“Promise me you’ll be brave, buttercup. That you won’t let anyone else tell you how to be. Live for yourself, live for us. You’re a Romanov, don’t forget it. I love you.” </p><p>Elmira stroked her son’s soft cheek one last time, brushing away his tears. The shouts drew nearer. She was out of time. With a deep breath, she picked up her bloody skirts and ran deeper into the wood, making sure to make as much noise as possible.</p><p>Julian watched his mother disappear into the treeline and did as she asked. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes as tight as possible. When he opened them again, it was silent. </p><p>____________</p><p>Hours after the attack, before even the humans had received word, a band of elves stumbled across the caravan. </p><p>Many of them had known the Romanovs personally, and recognized their carriages immediately. They stumbled through the mess of bodies, in shock of this brutal act, and whispered prayers. Desperately they checked pulses, hoping for at least one person they could save.</p><p>One elf, Arwen, spotted a trail of blood leading into the woods. Lightly he stepped around crushed branches, and followed a winding trail deeper into the trees. </p><p>Reaching out, he could sense the presence of a being with powerful magic, alive and pulsing. His heart sped up with hope. Stumbling over tree roots, he moved faster and faster, stopping dead when a little gasp echoed across the clearing.</p><p>Arwen turned to the source of the noise, confused. In front of him was a great elm tree, twisted in its growth with a mess of roots tangled at its feet. The magic seemed to stem from there.</p><p>Carefully, he creeped closer, bending down to peer into the roots.</p><p>Large blue eyes, almost glowing, gazed back at him. </p><p>The eyes belonged to a little boy, skin pale and smeared with blood, dressed in fine clothes. </p><p>Arwen gave a shout, summoning some of his companions currently located at the wreckage. Freda, a female elf who had often worked as an ambassador alongside the Romanovs came running. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her clothes edged with blood. She saw where Arwen was kneeling in front of the elm and slid to the ground next to him. Her eyes widened in horror and relief when she spotted the little boy.</p><p>“Julian,” Freda breathed, “Oh Julian thank the gods, you’re okay.” The little boy blinked, seeming to regain a little bit of himself.</p><p>“Freda?” The elf reached out to Julian, pulling him from the tangle of roots.</p><p>“Yes little one, it's me. How did you end up here, so far from the road?”</p><p>“My mama carried me here when the men came. She told me to stay as quiet as possible. And then she ran away and the bad men followed her.” Julian swallowed hard, his eyes glazing over as he recounted what had happened. “I saw them kill daddy. Right through the heart, there was so much blood, and then everyone was screaming. That’s when mama took me away. I was closest. Are they okay?”</p><p>Freda’s face was grave, she knew she couldn’t lie to the boy, but more than anything she wished they could. Julian was perceptive beyond his years, and the non response seemed to be enough.</p><p>“Did anyone make it?” The question was desperate, Julian’s voice tearing at the seams. Freda’s face remained as still as stone, unable to say a word. It was enough. Julian’s eyes filled up with tears, and it was all Freda could do to pull him into her lap and hold him close as the little boy fell apart in her arms.</p><p>Eventually, he cried himself into a restless sleep as rain began to fall from the sky, as if the whole world was grieving alongside him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a little something I dreamt about and had to right. Is it worth continuing? </p><p> </p><p>Come find me on tumblr, @innocent-bistander</p></blockquote></div></div>
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